Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 4 - Chapter 17

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 1 Sanskrit: मैत्रेय उवाचएवं स भगवान् वैन्य: ख्यापितो गुणकर्मभि: । छन्दयामास तान् कामै: प्रतिपूज्याभिनन्द्य च ॥ १ ॥ ITRANS: maitreya uvācaevaṁ sa bhagavān vainyaḥkhyāpito guṇa-karmabhiḥchandayām āsa tān kāmaiḥpratipūjyābhinandya ca Translation: The great sage Maitreya continued: In this way the reciters who were glorifying Mahārāja Pṛthu readily described his qualities and chivalrous activities. At the end, Mahārāja Pṛthu offered them various presentations with all due respect and worshiped them adequately....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 2 Sanskrit: ब्राह्मणप्रमुखान् वर्णान् भृत्यामात्यपुरोधस: । पौराञ्जानपदान् श्रेणी: प्रकृती: समपूजयत् ॥ २ ॥ ITRANS: brāhmaṇa-pramukhān varṇānbhṛtyāmātya-purodhasaḥpaurāñ jāna-padān śreṇīḥprakṛtīḥ samapūjayat Translation: King Pṛthu thus satisfied and offered all respect to all the leaders of the brāhmaṇas and other castes, to his servants, to his ministers and to the priests, citizens, general countrymen, people from other communities, admirers and others, and thus they all became happy....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 3 Sanskrit: विदुर उवाचकस्माद्दधार गोरूपं धरित्री बहुरूपिणी । यां दुदोह पृथुस्तत्र को वत्सो दोहनं च किम् ॥ ३ ॥ ITRANS: vidura uvācakasmād dadhāra go-rūpaṁdharitrī bahu-rūpiṇīyāṁ dudoha pṛthus tatrako vatso dohanaṁ ca kim Translation: Vidura inquired from the great sage Maitreya: My dear brāhmaṇa, since mother earth can appear in different shapes, why did she take the shape of a cow? And when King Pṛthu milked her, who became the calf, and what was the milking pot?...

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 4 Sanskrit: प्रकृत्या विषमा देवी कृता तेन समा कथम् । तस्य मेध्यं हयं देव: कस्य हेतोरपाहरत् ॥ ४ ॥ ITRANS: prakṛtyā viṣamā devīkṛtā tena samā kathamtasya medhyaṁ hayaṁ devaḥkasya hetor apāharat Translation: The surface of the earth is by nature low in some places and high in others. How did King Pṛthu level the surface of the earth, and why did the King of heaven, Indra, steal the horse meant for the sacrifice?...

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 5 Sanskrit: सनत्कुमाराद्भगवतो ब्रह्मन् ब्रह्मविदुत्तमात् । लब्ध्वा ज्ञानं सविज्ञानं राजर्षि: कां गतिं गत: ॥ ५ ॥ ITRANS: sanat-kumārād bhagavatobrahman brahma-vid-uttamātlabdhvā jñānaṁ sa-vijñānaṁrājarṣiḥ kāṁ gatiṁ gataḥ Translation: The great saintly King, Mahārāja Pṛthu, received knowledge from Sanat-kumāra, who was the greatest Vedic scholar. After receiving knowledge to be applied practically in his life, how did the saintly King attain his desired destination? Purport: There are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas (systems) of disciplic succession....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 6-7 Sanskrit: यच्चान्यदपि कृष्णस्य भवान् भगवत: प्रभो: । श्रव: सुश्रवस: पुण्यं पूर्वदेहकथाश्रयम् ॥ ६ ॥ भक्ताय मेऽनुरक्ताय तव चाधोक्षजस्य च । वक्तुमर्हसि योऽदुह्यद्वैन्यरूपेण गामिमाम् ॥ ७ ॥ ITRANS: yac cānyad api kṛṣṇasyabhavān bhagavataḥ prabhoḥśravaḥ suśravasaḥ puṇyaṁpūrva-deha-kathāśrayam Translation: Pṛthu Mahārāja was a powerful incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s potencies; consequently any narration concerning his activities is surely very pleasing to hear, and it produces all good fortune....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 8 Sanskrit: सूत उवाचचोदितो विदुरेणैवं वासुदेवकथां प्रति । प्रशस्य तं प्रीतमना मैत्रेय: प्रत्यभाषत ॥ ८ ॥ ITRANS: sūta uvācacodito vidureṇaivaṁvāsudeva-kathāṁ pratipraśasya taṁ prīta-manāmaitreyaḥ pratyabhāṣata Translation: Sūta Gosvāmī continued: When Vidura became inspired to hear of the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa in His various incarnations, Maitreya, also being inspired and being very pleased with Vidura, began to praise him. Then Maitreya spoke as follows....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 9 Sanskrit: मैत्रेय उवाचयदाभिषिक्त: पृथुरङ्ग विप्रै-रामन्त्रितो जनतायाश्च पाल: । प्रजा निरन्ने क्षितिपृष्ठ एत्यक्षुत्क्षामदेहा: पतिमभ्यवोचन् ॥ ९ ॥ ITRANS: maitreya uvācayadābhiṣiktaḥ pṛthur aṅga viprairāmantrito janatāyāś ca pālaḥprajā niranne kṣiti-pṛṣṭha etyakṣut-kṣāma-dehāḥ patim abhyavocan Translation: The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, at the time King Pṛthu was enthroned by the great sages and brāhmaṇas and declared to be the protector of the citizens, there was a scarcity of food grains....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 12 Sanskrit: मैत्रेय उवाचपृथु: प्रजानां करुणं निशम्य परिदेवितम् । दीर्घं दध्यौ कुरुश्रेष्ठ निमित्तं सोऽन्वपद्यत ॥ १२ ॥ ITRANS: maitreya uvācapṛthuḥ prajānāṁ karuṇaṁniśamya paridevitamdīrghaṁ dadhyau kuruśreṣṭhanimittaṁ so ’nvapadyata Translation: After hearing this lamentation and seeing the pitiable condition of the citizens, King Pṛthu contemplated this matter for a long time to see if he could find out the underlying causes. Purport:

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 13 Sanskrit: इति व्यवसितो बुद्ध्या प्रगृहीतशरासन: । सन्दधे विशिखं भूमे: क्रुद्धस्त्रिपुरहा यथा ॥ १३ ॥ ITRANS: iti vyavasito buddhyāpragṛhīta-śarāsanaḥsandadhe viśikhaṁ bhūmeḥkruddhas tripura-hā yathā Translation: Having arrived at a conclusion, the King took up his bow and arrow and aimed them at the earth, exactly like Lord Śiva, who destroys the whole world out of anger. Purport: King Pṛthu found out the cause for the scarcity of food grains....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 14 Sanskrit: प्रवेपमाना धरणी निशाम्योदायुधं च तम् । गौ: सत्यपाद्रवद्भीता मृगीव मृगयुद्रुता ॥ १४ ॥ ITRANS: pravepamānā dharaṇīniśāmyodāyudhaṁ ca tamgauḥ saty apādravad bhītāmṛgīva mṛgayu-drutā Translation: When the earth saw that King Pṛthu was taking his bow and arrow to kill her, she became very much afraid and began to tremble. She then began to flee, exactly like a deer, which runs very swiftly when followed by a hunter....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 15 Sanskrit: तामन्वधावत्तद्वैन्य: कुपितोऽत्यरुणेक्षण: । शरं धनुषि सन्धाय यत्र यत्र पलायते ॥ १५ ॥ ITRANS: tām anvadhāvat tad vainyaḥkupito ’tyaruṇekṣaṇaḥśaraṁ dhanuṣi sandhāyayatra yatra palāyate Translation: Seeing this, Mahārāja Pṛthu became very angry, and his eyes became as red as the early-morning sun. Placing an arrow on his bow, he chased the cow-shaped earth wherever she would run. Purport:

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 16 Sanskrit: सा दिशो विदिशो देवी रोदसी चान्तरं तयो: । धावन्ती तत्र तत्रैनं ददर्शानूद्यतायुधम् ॥ १६ ॥ ITRANS: sā diśo vidiśo devīrodasī cāntaraṁ tayoḥdhāvantī tatra tatrainaṁdadarśānūdyatāyudham Translation: The cow-shaped earth ran here and there in outer space between the heavenly planets and the earth, and wherever she ran, the King chased her with his bow and arrows. Purport:

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 17 Sanskrit: लोके नाविन्दत त्राणं वैन्यान्मृत्योरिव प्रजा: । त्रस्ता तदा निववृते हृदयेन विदूयता ॥ १७ ॥ ITRANS: loke nāvindata trāṇaṁvainyān mṛtyor iva prajāḥtrastā tadā nivavṛtehṛdayena vidūyatā Translation: Just as a man cannot escape the cruel hands of death, the cow-shaped earth could not escape the hands of the son of Vena. At length the earth, fearful, her heart aggrieved, turned back in helplessness....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4 - Chapter 1 - Verse 18 Sanskrit: उवाच च महाभागं धर्मज्ञापन्नवत्सल । त्राहि मामपि भूतानां पालनेऽवस्थितो भवान् ॥ १८ ॥ ITRANS: uvāca ca mahā-bhāgaṁdharma-jñāpanna-vatsalatrāhi mām api bhūtānāṁpālane ’vasthito bhavān Translation: Addressing the great, opulent King Pṛthu as the knower of religious principles and shelter of the surrendered, she said: Please save me. You are the protector of all living entities. Now you are situated as the King of this planet....